Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication apparatus that transmits/receives an image through a network, and a control method of the communication apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Wireless local area network (LAN) systems typified by IEEE802.11 have been widely used. In the wireless LAN, a network is controlled by a base station called an access point (AP). A wireless network is built by the AP, and stations (STAs) which exist in the coverage area of the radio wave emitted by the AP and are in a wirelessly connected state. Recently, products and standards for various wireless network forms have appeared on the market, in addition to this conventional simple wireless network configuration of the AP and STA.
There is a wireless network apparatus simultaneously having both an AP function of performing communication as a base station, and an STA function of connecting to the base state and performing communication, in order to participate in a plurality of wireless networks. Such an apparatus can act as the AP and build another network while connecting as the STA to another AP.
Wi-Fi Display is video streaming communication using a wireless network. Wi-Fi Display is a wireless direct streaming technique standardized by Wi-Fi Alliance®. In Wi-Fi Display, a device that transmits a video streaming is called a “source”, and a device that receives the video streaming is called a “sink”.
In Wi-Fi Display, either Wi-Fi Direct® or Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ TDLS (Tunneled Direct Link Setup) is used in wireless link layer connection. In Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™ TDLS, a direct link is established to transmit/receive a video streaming between the source and the sink without the intervention of an AP.
In Wi-Fi Direct®, either the sink or source operates as a base station (P2P group owner: P2P GO) like an AP. The other operates as a terminal station (P2P client) like an STA, and performs wireless connection (to be referred to as “P2P connection” hereinafter). The sink and source directly transmit/receive a video streaming.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-172275 discloses a method of controlling, based on information of a wireless network to which a communication partner is connected, and capability information of the communication partner, whether to build another wireless network with the communication partner, or to establish a direct link. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2014-045505 and 2013-123245 disclose methods of, when a user desires communication with a wireless terminal participating in a wireless network different from a wireless network in which the user's terminal currently participates, building a combined wireless network including the wireless terminal.
When discovering a wireless network device at a connection destination in Wi-Fi Display, both of peer-to-peer (P2P) search and TDLS search are available. However, when a plurality of wireless network devices are discovered by P2P or TDLS, the user does not determine a wireless network device to be connected and may be confused. Especially in P2P connection, disconnection between a wireless network and a wireless network device before the P2P connection is necessary. If the user selects a wireless network device that performs not TDLS connection but P2P connection, the user's terminal may be disconnected from the originally connected wireless network before the user knows it.